HL Deb 09 December 2003 vol 655 cc628-9

2.52 p.m.

Lord Hoyle

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I must tell the House that AMTAC Laboratories, which carried out some of the tests, is associated with AMTAC accreditation services, with which I have a small interest.

The Question was as follows:

To ask her Majesty's Government what have been the savings to the National Health Service arising from the inquiry by the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service into fraud related to the supply of imitation gold fillings in dentistry.

Lord Warner

My Lords, the National Health Service Counter Fraud and Security Management Service was established in 1998 and investigates all matters of fraud and corruption in the NHS. Its dental fraud team has had a growing impact on fraud involving dental services, but I cannot comment on individual investigations that are currently in progress.

Lord Hoyle

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that it is an absolute scandal that patients should be ripped off in such a way, when some fillings contain only 2 per cent gold? At a time when the media try to criticise the NHS, should we not praise the NHS's counter fraud service, which has been in operation for only four years but has saved the NHS millions of pounds and reduced fraud in the NHS by 36 per cent?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I am grateful for my noble friend's observations. He is quite right that the new counter fraud service has achieved a huge reduction of 25 per cent in dental fraud by patients. He is also right that it is scandalous that some dentists have been charging the NHS for gold inlays that contain non-precious metals. The dental fraud team is investigating that practice in relation to about 90 dentists.

Lord Clement-Jones

My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Hoyle, says, the counter fraud service should be congratulated. Indeed, it has saved some £295 million over the past few years. If the Minister cannot comment on individual investigations, in the case of the campaign to combat fraud in agency nursing, how many prosecutions has the CFS arranged over the past few months?

Lord Warner

My Lords, my papers are very strong on dental fraud at the moment, but not so strong on nursing agencies, because I had quite a heavy burden to carry here this afternoon. Of course, I will look into the matter and write to the noble Lord.

Lord Colwyn

My Lords, when the fee per item of service system is abolished in April 2005, will the new fee structure, which is not yet finalised, make recommendations about the use of precious, semi-precious or non-precious metals, each of which has different uses in different situations?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord's contribution in bringing into being a new dental contract arrangement. I am not sure whether the contract itself will deal with the particular problem that he has identified, but I will certainly look into whether there will be new guidance following on the kind of work being done by the counter fraud service, as I mentioned in my Answer to my noble friend Lord Hoyle.

Lord Harrison

My Lords, could toothpaste manufacturers carry the legend on their boxes that "all that glisters is not gold"?

Lord Warner

Yes, my Lords, and so should some of the inlay material being supplied to some dentists.

Lord Hoyle

My Lords, although my noble friend the Minister cannot comment on individual cases, will he assure us that the Government will take every possible measure to stamp out this practice?

Lord Warner

My Lords, I can certainly give that assurance to my noble friend.